Loretello, 60 inhabitants and a lot of history

Hi friend!!!!
Today I'm taking you to discover a small fraction of the municipality of Arcevia, in the province of Ancona in the Marche region in central Italy.

Arcevia is a very special and important city…it has just over 4,000 inhabitants but 9 castles in its territory!!!

Today I will introduce you to a very nice and particular one that definitely deserves a visit, I'm talking about Loretello!!!

Loretello is very recognizable due to its particular entrance bridge!!

The beauty of this village can be recognized even before arriving in the town by traveling along the rolling hills of the Marche region by car.

It is estimated that its inhabitants are currently around 60, you can meet them by visiting the town, they are very hospitable and proud of the place where they live.

The legend told by them says that Loretello is the land of love because the people who come to visit this village, taken by the beauty of the landscapes and the romance of it, tend to fall in love strongly!!

We are in the interior of the Marche region, about 60 kilometers from my house, I suggest you visit this place arriving by car, it can be reached easily and you can park your car outside the castle walls, once having left the car, you can walk across the ancient bridge and enter the village.

When you have crossed the whole bridge you will pass under the beautiful entrance arch of the town!!

The arch at the entrance to the town is very beautiful also seen from inside the town

The village has all been renovated and very well maintained by the proud local inhabitants, you will immediately find yourself in the main square of the village where you can enjoy a beautiful view and visit the "Museum of peasant civilization" right in the rooms above the ancient entrance where it is collected the equipment that was used in the past to cultivate the land and for the survival of the inhabitants of these places.
You can enter by taking the stairway that leads to the upper floor of the village entrance arch.

The museum is pleasant to visit and if you are young or have always lived in the city you will certainly not know many of the equipment and objects you will see, it is a nice way to learn something more!!

The streets are few but very pretty, the town is small but beautiful, you can walk around the perimeter of the ancient walls still made up of centuries-old towers.

The "guard tower", a three-storey watchtower, connected by a gallery to the nearby buildings and with an angled structure to better resist the shots fired by bombards;

the tower known as "the prison", on six floors, with narrow slits and merlons in Ghibelline style, once also used as a prison and inhabited by private individuals until recent times.

STORY

I will briefly tell you its story: Its construction dates back to 1072, at the same time as the church of Sant'Andrea, by the monks of the Fonte Avellana monastery. In 1139 it depended on Fonte Avellana, but in 1159 a dispute arose for its possession with the diocese of Fossombrone: a commission of five cardinal mediators appointed by the pope put an end to it in 1185, by means of an agreement of division in half.
In 1255 Loretello passed to Arcevia, which paid an indemnity to the diocese of Fossombrone. In 1273 thirty-three families had sworn allegiance to Arcevia, which obtained definitive possession in 1289 with an act of the rector of the Marca. Loretello was often subjected to attacks by the enemies of Arcevia and declined, ending up with depopulation.
The current appearance of the castle derives from successive expansions carried out in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. Since it was no longer intended for military use, the access bridge with three arches was added in the eighteenth century.
Loretello was administered by a "Castle Council", while the functions of justice and public safety were entrusted to a captain. With the passage to the Kingdom of Italy all administrative functions passed to Arcevia.

An inhabitant let me visit his house that he rents out to tourists, really kind and his house is very nice and historic !!

My friend I also recommend this place, its structure is unique and visiting it you will realize why I recommend a visit here, you will feel like you are walking in the XII century!! How beautiful!!😍

All the photos were taken by me and my family during a visit to this country and what I tell is part of my personal experience.😁